She scoops & wobbles but the voice itself is in amazing shape for her age. Not only are the top notes still phenomenal but she's pretty even throughout her range & can sing softly!
I saw Dame Gwyneth at the ROH in Turandot, when I was a student. Her stage presence was phenomenal, she was the one you watched, even when others were singing. As for her voice…a tsunami 🌊
Jones was a phenomenon. I think the loudest voice I ever heard live. I heard her Turandot with Domingo as well as Salome and Elizabeth. The voice pinned one to one’s seat. It was an incredible sound!
🤣 I have friends that saw her live- they told they’d been to rock concerts that weren’t as loud as she was. Their ears were literally sore. She excites me even here, past her prime.
@@aaronmalone7065 Gwyneth Jones' voice had cutting edge , but could also have darker tones. It was a thrilling sound and she had such a sense of drama. I also admired Ghena Dimitrova very much, another absolutely huge voice
She could certainly make quite a noise, but her pianissimo was really exquisite. Since I saw both of them onstage, I’d say Jones’s technique was similar to Nilsson’s - very focused, like a laser beam. The loudest voice I ever heard onstage was Eva Marton, just a tidal wave of sound, but it ultimately cost her.
It was my privilege to see Dame Gwyneth many times. I'd like to see any soprano in the prime of their career match her vocal power and passion even in the twilight of hers. Brava Gwyneth!
We all know about her lacks in the late years but believe me: i heard her often in the 90´s and iz was always a force of nature and eruption on stage with her stage presence and acting and the laser bombs of her top notes. I was every time impressed. And i had a conversation with her in the break of an opera when she was also in the audience: a very lovely Lady.
I met her too, and I couldn’t believe that the tremendous sound came from such a petite soft-spoken lady. She was very gracious. My wife was confused and whispered to me, “was that the same lady who just obliterated the entire orchestra and chorus?”
@@wotan10950 , thanks for the lovely anecdote. Here on RU-vid are lots of the famous "Da Capo" Interviews between August Everding and a famous singer. Also this one with Dame Gwyneth. The interviews are in my mother tongue German but you can hear her soft speaking.
I heard Gwyneth Jones live at the ROH/London in one of the best opera performances I have ever attended. This was way back in the late 60’s, I was only in my teens but the memories live on. ‘Don Carlos” (Verdi) Jones/Verrett/Cossuta/Ward/cond Abbado. Producer Visconti. Opera performances don’t get any better than that, any subsequent ones of this opera, though good, have paled by comparison.
We attended those performances too. My wife was very impressed with the Zeffirelli production. She was not a great opera lover, but even she was stunned by the vocal power and characterization of Jones’s Elektra. The public was so stunned, they couldn’t even begin the ovation without a moment to collect themselves.
Never had the pleasure of listening to her live, but have seen her plenty on video and have a couple of her recordings. Even here, the way she attacks these high notes.. 😮 love it. Thanks for posting!!
James Levine originally disliked her because she was going through a rough patch when she sang Isolde for him. But she saved his bacon when she stepped into his Ring at a moment’s notice. After that, he became a fan, and spoke highly of their collaborations in Rosenkavalier and Parsifal.
She sings this aria with such presence and glory, vocaly maybe a little bit late in the career. On the other hand she dares and the flaming high notes for Turandot, are still there. That one boo is so rude and painful for a musician.
The perceived wobble definitely isn't the worst I've heard. Still better control over it than a lot of sopranos in the "prime" I've heard in recent years. Some loss of chest voice evident here, but that's why all singers hang it up
There was nothing to boo in this particular performance , even though it was in later career. I suspect the person who booed went to the theatre with the intention of doing so no matter how Dame Gwyneth sang. Opera can be so political. In any case the applause was tumultuous.
At the Met in the 1980-90s, it became very fashionable with some groups to boo the artists. Scotto was booed all the time, same as Levine, Pav was booed because he missed a single note. It was unbelievable.
Yes one single frustrated opera queen booing (he was ready to go and got in quickly before the rest of the audience were in full applause). She is admittedly past her best and the wobble and scoops are (to put it diplomatically) noticeable and not always pleasant to listen to. But the top is phenomenal! And yes it was the biggest voice I ever heard. And yes her stamina was unparalleled - she really was a force of nature!
@@wotan10950 Situations like that are really ridiculous. I can understand that people may not have liked Scotto but then just stay home. Anything else is just terribly humiliating and mean
Having seen her since 1962 when she had a lovely quality to the voice,this is truly sad. She was a wonderful Elisabeth in Don Carlo,Santuzza,Salome,Desdemona and a stunning Leonora in Trovatore with Prevedi then Bergonzi at ROH London and again with Bergonzi at La Scala.
That’s true. Jones has gone on to say that misuse of the chest register causes early vocal decline. She had a very long and distinguished career, despite some rough outings.
I saw Dame Gwyneth so many times onstage, as she is one of my very favorite singers. Always exciting, even if the voice was occasionally out of control. Fidelio, Marschallin, Isolde, Brunnhilde, Turandot, Elektra, Salome -- I saw her onstage in all of these. But I recall this concert for Levine, and the role of Turandot was a bit beyond her reach at this point. Oh yes, she reaches all the notes, but it's not beautiful at all.
Im sorry, but I find this painful. I first heard her in 1966 in Don Carlos. It was such a beautiful voice, big then too but lovely quality. That awful scooping could be heard occasionally but in this there's hardly a phrase sung cleanly. You have only to listen to the pinpoint accuracy of Birgit Nilsson to hear how it should be done.
What a terrible conducting. It is also conductors like this who take the tension out of the music and think that the longer they wave the baton, the more important they become. No, it's about the music and what it expresses. And this aria is not one in which one may savour the lyricism, but that must be realised with an appropriate drama - by orchestra and singers. Of course, Dame Gwyneth is no longer in full possession of her faculties here, but that is precisely what should have been coordinated accordingly with the conductor. This way, however, her deficits are made more audible than necessary.
I suspect you know what screaming means and probably "singing beautifully" is not an essential attribute I would primarily associate with the music or the role of Turandot